Souta's heart was thundering in his chest as he ran down the stairs, barefoot, adrenaline flooding his veins. The knock on the window upstairs still echoed in his mind—slow, taunting, deliberate.
He didn't stop until he reached the living room, fumbling for the nearest light switch.
Click.
The room lit up instantly.
Silence.
But that didn't help. The silence now felt worse—like something was watching from the corners, hidden in the shadows just out of sight.
His parents were asleep. The house was quiet. He didn't want to wake them. He didn't even know how to explain what was going on.
How do you tell someone a smiling stranger is stalking you… without sounding insane?
Then—
His phone buzzed again.
Hands trembling, he looked at the message.
Unknown Number: "You left your window unlocked."
His blood ran cold.
He turned slowly, glancing up the stairs. No way.
He rushed back up to his room, his footsteps light but hurried. He burst through the door—
The window was open.
His chest seized. He knew he'd locked it. He was sure.
And then…
He noticed something else.
A single black feather on his floor.
Souta picked it up with shaky fingers. It was sleek, smooth… and cold. Unnaturally cold.
That man had been inside his room.
---
The next morning, Souta didn't tell his parents anything. He just said he had trouble sleeping again. His mind was too full of fear and confusion to form a proper explanation.
When he got to school, he pulled Toru aside during break.
"Toru," he whispered. "He was in my house."
Toru froze. "What?"
"I locked everything. Everything, Toru. And somehow… he still got in."
Toru's face darkened. "Then it's worse than I thought."
Souta stepped closer. "You have to tell me the truth now. Who is he? Why is he after me?"
Toru looked around nervously before answering.
"His name is Kuroda. And he's not just a man. He used to be… something else."
Souta blinked. "Something else?"
Toru nodded grimly. "A soldier. But not in any normal army. He worked with a secret group. A terrorist cell. Not just bombers and assassins—people who used… unseen things to control fear."
Souta stared at him. "You mean like… sorcery?"
"No," Toru said. "Worse. Tech mixed with madness. They experimented with sound, frequency, illusions—ways to break a person's mind. Kuroda volunteered for something he shouldn't have. Now… he's something twisted. He lives in fear. And he spreads it."
Souta felt his blood chill.
"You said he marked me," he whispered. "What does that mean?"
Toru swallowed hard. "It means he's watching. Testing your fear. Measuring your reactions. If you break… he'll move in."
Souta nearly dropped his phone. "What do I do?"
"You fight back," Toru said. "You hold your mind. No matter what you see. Don't run. Don't scream. That's how he wins."
"But I'm just a kid, Toru!" Souta snapped. "How the hell am I supposed to fight that?"
Toru reached into his backpack and handed Souta a small, metallic disc.
"Put this under your bed. It'll scramble his signal. He won't like it."
Souta stared at the device. "You had this the whole time?"
"I didn't think he'd come after you this soon," Toru said. "But if he's already in your room… you're not safe anymore."
---
That night…
Souta placed the device under his bed just like Toru said. It hummed faintly—a barely audible buzz, like a mosquito in the distance.
For the first time in nights, he fell asleep without hearing whispers.
But that didn't mean the nightmare was over.
He woke up around 2 a.m.
The air was cold. Unnaturally so.
His phone was buzzing again.
He checked the screen.
Unknown Number: "You think that little toy can stop me?"
Then—
"Let's play a new game."
Souta felt a tight knot in his stomach.
Then came a picture.
His own face.
Asleep in bed.
Taken minutes ago.
He sat up in a panic. Looked around his room. Nothing. No one.
But the window was cracked open again.
And on the floor—another black feather.
This one was wet.
With blood
To be continued.....